State OKs funds to repair damage due to heavy winter

Saturday

Jul 26, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Mary Barker

Gov. Rick Snyder recently announced $6 million in assistance for six Upper Peninsula and three northern Lower Peninsula counties, including Cheboygan County, that received a “state of emergency” declaration after sustaining heavy infrastructure damage due to extremely cold temperatures and deep frost levels last winter.The nine counties — Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Delta, Emmet, Gogebic, Luce, Mackinac and Marquette — will be eligible to receive Community Development Block Grants, CDBG, to repair damaged water and sewer mains, roads and other vital infrastructure.“The state is stepping up and assisting our northern Michigan communities to repair their damaged infrastructure,” Snyder stated in a news release announcing the program.. “Last winter’s extremely cold temperatures and deep frost levels caused millions of dollars in damages. It makes good sense to begin the repairs as quickly as possible to restore water and sewer mains and roads in the affected areas.”The Michigan Strategic Fund, MSF, board earlier this week approved a proposal by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, MEDC, to announce a competitive round of CDBG funding to assist impacted communities. The MEDC has received requests from northern Michigan communities for assistance, and past projects approved by the MEDC and MSF face some jeopardy if basic infrastructure is not repaired quickly.Gregory Williams, director of the Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet County Office of Emergency Management, said the news of the available funding is welcome. He said it is a first-time program where the Governor's Office and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have put together a competitive block grant program for emergency relief assistance.“It has been several months since the freeze damage and everybody has been trying to find a way to help the affected municipalities,” said Williams. “The Governor found a funding stream and secured it for the nine counties that declared emergencies this spring.“Going through the MEDC is not the usual disaster aid stream,” said Williams, who said it is unclear exactly how the program will be administered. “The MDED will be meeting on it next week. It's new for them also.” Cheboygan City Manager Dale Stuart comment on the announcement. “ It sounds very good if they recognize the expense and needs of the communities and what they have gone through. However, if there are a bunch of strings and contingencies attached that put up all kind of obstacles then it will be very problematic.”Under terms of the approved proposal, the MSF will award deep freeze funds through an online competitive Request-for-Proposal process.It requires communities to: Be non-entitlement under federal CDBG rules; document that they are unable to fund the activities with other funding; have hard infrastructure repairs (water, sewer, and/or road work related to water/sewer) that occurred after November 1, 2013; and match a minimum of 15 percent of costs and, if eligible, continue the process to seek Federal Emergency Management Agency (funding.The MEDC will continue to work with the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division to ensure a coordinated response to deep freeze issues in the nine counties. For complete requirements, see the RFP online at: www.michiganbusiness.org/urgent-need/ Snyder declared a “state of emergency” on April 17 for Marquette County to ensure all possible state resources, in accordance with the Michigan Emergency Management Plan, would be provided to assist the local response to the damage caused by last winter’s extremely cold temperatures and deep frost levels. On May 7, the emergency declaration was amended to include Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Chippewa, Delta, Emmet, Gogebic, Luce and Mackinac counties.Gregory Williams, director of the Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet County Office of Emergency Management, said the news of the available funding is welcome. He said it is a first-time program where the Governor's Office and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation have put together a competitive block grant program for emergency relief assistance.“It has been several months since the freeze damage and everybody has been trying to find a way to help the affected municipalities,” said Williams. “The Governor found a funding stream and secured it for the nine counties that declared emergencies this spring.“Going through the MEDC is not the usual disaster aid stream,” said Williams, who said it is unclear exactly how the program will be administered. “The MDED will be meeting on it next week. It's new for them also.”